


Forget Me Not

by afewmistakesago



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Modern World AU, No Magic AU, beautiful bookworm, doctor who is NOT a doctor, the parents are here too, they're the same age in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 16:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5170058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewmistakesago/pseuds/afewmistakesago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anonymous said: From that list you posted I really love this one: my mum knows your mum and they’re trying to set us up but all i can remember of you is that time you stuck gum in my hair when we were seven so i automatically don’t like you au</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forget Me Not

When Belle had moved back into her parent’s home in Storybrooke Estates, she didn’t know that it would involve the same kind of harassment she’d received as a teenager. The job opening at her parent’s local library was a blessing and a curse - both being the fact that she could live with her parents while she saved money for her own place. She would be the main children’s librarian while the library underwent renovation, a step up from her circulation desk job at the library close to her college.

Belle had chosen to sleep in late on her second day in her old room, and planned to spend the day tearing down her teenage posters and redecorate with more mature taste. When she went downstairs to scrounge for a snack, she found her mother dicing potatoes. Collette French’s face brightened when she saw her daughter. “Good morning, sleeping beauty.”

Belle rolled her eyes at the nickname, looking over her mother’s kitchen island. “What’s all this for?” she asked, meandering to the bread basket and taking out a muffin.

“Just a dinner party,” her mother said, pulling a recipe book from a kitchen counter. “Do you like the ribs Carolina style, or Memphis?”

“North Carolina,” Belle said automatically, her stomach watering at the thought. In college and afterwards, her diet had consisted of easily microwavable or boiled meals. Her mom’s home-cooking had certainly been missed, and Belle anticipated letting her belt loose a notch after a month or so back at home.

“That’s what I thought,” her mom replied affectionately, nudging Belle’s shoulder as she collected items from around the kitchen. “I sent your father to the grocery store. You should get ready, the Gold’s will be over soon.”

“The Gold’s?” Belle said, in-between bites of muffin. “Evanna and Malcolm?”

Collette stared at her for moment. “And Ewan,” she said, like this was obvious.

“Isn’t he in Israel?”

“Just got back,” Collette informed her warmly. “Living with his parents before the school year starts. He’s going to be a professor.”

Belle sometimes felt like her mother was more proud of Ewan Gold that she was of her own daughter. “Whoo-hoo,” she said dryly, throwing half the muffin into the trash. She hadn’t been fond of Ewan since her seventh birthday.

“I don’t understand why you don’t like him,” her mother chided. “Such a lovely boy, and you turned him down for prom all those years ago. He’s still single, you know.”

“No foreign women picked him up? How shocking!” Belle said, feigning surprise.

“You don’t have to be rude,” Collette said. “He’s a doctor. You could do worse. I seem to remember, you have done worse.”

Belle took a mixing bowl from her mother, trying to change the topic from her ex-boyfriends. “So it’s just the six of us? We don’t need that much food.”

Collette took the mixing bowl back. “Sure we do. You like leftovers. Now, go change! They’ll be here in an hour.”

From her mother’s tone, Belle understood that she wasn’t impressed with her jeans and concert t-shirt. Heading back to her room and feeling too much like she did when she was seventeen, she put on a green dress she found in the back of her closet, pairing it with a black sweater.

She couldn’t believe that if her mother had her way tonight, she would have to sit next to Ewan Gold, just like when they’d been forced to sit together at the children’s table for far too many barbeques and holidays. The Gold’s and French’s had always been friends, but Belle could not, for the life of her, enjoy Ewan’s company. They’d been playmates as toddlers, but during her seventh birthday party, Collette had the wise idea to see who could blow a bubble with huge gumballs, and she and Ewan had jumped at the competition. Unfortunately, the bubble fell right from Ewan’s mouth and into the depths Belle’s hair during a bit of a shoving match, and Belle had to go through the latter half of elementary school with a god-awful bowl cut. And he never even apologized. Then they grew up, and teenagers never quite knew how to tolerate each other without being too over sensitive or under sensitive.

From her seventh birthday on, Belle had cut him out of her life. Even as a child, she was stubborn and determined and would not play with him. Her mother could force her outside to his house, but she couldn’t stop her from sneaking a book under her jacket to read instead of play. They still ran in the same social circle, but they were by no means close. When they hit sixteen, their mothers tried to set them up on dates a few times - dropping them off at the movies or parties together through carpool, trying to spark something. Belle’s hair had grown back, but her warmth towards him had not.

It was true that Ewan had asked her to senior prom, and she said no. Belle had plans with a friend group, and he just didn’t want to go alone due to his break-up with mean queen cheerleader Cora Mills. They’d gone to separate colleges, at least. Such a pity, Collette and Evanna always said. They ignored the fact that Ewan and Belle hardly talked, and Belle wondered if Ewan got updates on her life as many times as her mother had called her in college to tell her what Ewan was up to.

“Dr. Ewan Gold,” her mother would gush, and Belle would remind her that paleontologists were not real doctors, and her mother would hush her and tell her more about whatever breathtaking site her childhood friend was visiting on his world travels.

Belle came down the stairs to find her mother and father setting the table.”You look nice, Belle,” her father said, hugging her side before pouring water into the six neatly set cups.

“Belle,” her mother said, pulling her to the corner of the room, “Try to be pleasant with Ewan. You’re not too old, there’s still hope.”

“Oh my God,” Belle said, turning away from her mother. “I’m twenty-seven! And I can choose who I want to date!”

“Of course you can, dear,” her mother said with a small smile. “I just think you should give him a chance to -”

The doorbell rang then, and while Collette rushed to answer it, Belle hung back with her father in the dining room. Within moments, Belle was crushed by Evanna’s strong perfume, and a pat on the back from Malcolm. Malcolm and Maurice nodded at each other, heading to the living room in some kind of mutual agreement to watch whatever sport was on. Evanna and Collette had taken to the kitchen, and Belle was left alone. She wondered where Ewan was, turning to join the women in the kitchen, when he suddenly came through the door.

“Hey Belle!” he said jovially, leaning in to hug her. She was surprised by his cologne, something dark and spicy and all too inviting. When they separated after a moment, she looked up to get a better view of his face. He’d grown a few inches since their awkward high school graduation photos together, and he’d definitely grown out his hair. Instead of his high school wardrobe of jeans and a leather jacket, he had on khaki pants and a sweater vest, which he was somehow really pulling off. It was a good look for him, complimenting his thin features and deep brown eyes. Those eyes and that face had never randomly appeared in her strangely heated dreams, of course. Belle had never thought he was handsome - but something in her felt caught, and she found herself admitting that he was attractive.

“Is - everything okay?” he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. “You look spooked.”

“Oh!” Belle said, feeling incredibly dumb. “You just - it’s just - it’s like a blast from the past,” she said with a small smile.

He nodded at her, then his face became serious. “Look, I know our parents want us to - get together, I guess, but we’re both adults,” he said, running his hands through his hair.

“Yeah,” Belle agreed, suddenly at a loss for words.

“Let’s just put the stuff from our childhoods behind and start over, alright?” he asked, reaching to shake her hand. “I’m Doctor Ewan Gold,” he said somberly.

“Oh, shut up,” Belle said, shaking his hand with a laugh. “Nobody calls a paleontologist when they have a heart attack.”

He gave her a strange look, sighing, then admitting “I missed you, Belle.”

They awkwardly participated in the small talk of the evening, but for the most part, everyone had paired off. Belle joined in on the other conversations where she could, but it seemed like the mothers were trying to out-compliment the other, and the fathers were trying to discreetly watch the football game they’d turned on, debating over some coach’s scandal. Dinner parties were wonderful.

Belle swirled the wine in her glass, feeling lighter. Ewan was next to her, and had actually managed to make her laugh a few times with stories of his misadventures with foreign customs. He pulled out his phone to show her photos, and it was actually quite fascinating. She pulled out her phone and showed him the blueprints for her library’s renovation, and he seemed genuinely excited for her. She noticed he wasn’t as immature or broody anymore, but seemed more grounded and wise. It was a nice change, and she hoped he had meant what he said earlier about starting over.

At the end of the night, after everyone had eaten far too much and played some terrible version of charades with constantly changing rules, Belle walked with Ewan to the door.

“This was… nice,” Belle said, and Ewan grinned. “You sound like you’re surprised.”

“I’m not! It’s just…”

“You hated me as a kid,” he finished flatly.

Belle put her hands across her chest. “You were the reason I was made fun of all through elementary school, in my defense.”

He frowned at her. “What?”

“Do you not remember? My seventh birthday party?”

Ewan was squinting, as if trying to recall the particular memory. “I am positive my mother has photos, if you don’t believe me,” Belle intoned, suddenly unsure if it had been Ewan to drop the gum in her hair.

“I vaguely remember you crying and then you weren’t too fond of me from then on, yeah,” he finally admitted. “Didn’t I apologize?”

“No!” Belle said, “But to be fair, I was a brat as a kid. I should’ve forgiven you.”

“God, I should be the one to apologize,” he said, “I’m the one who started the “coconut” nickname.”

Belle’s eyes widened at the painful memory, and she shoved his shoulder playfully. “I can’t believe you! I turned you down for prom for a reason!”

He sighed dramatically. “Yes, senior prom. I asked a beautiful bookworm, my very own girl next door, and she turned me down. And now, fate has us together again, ten years later.”

“Hmm. I’m not sure what I think of fate,” Belle said, and her voice was light and flirty, an open call for him to respond to.

There was a cough from behind them, and Belle noticed their parents were still watching them from the doorway. She’d somehow gotten very close to Ewan, and she took a cautious step back, then made a shoving motion. Her father got the hint, taking his wife’s hand and half-dragging her inside, with Ewan’s parent’s following.

They laughed for a moment, and Belle shook her head. “Parents,” she said softly. “Gotta love ‘em.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, taking a step towards her, closing the space she’d created. She didn’t feel uncomfortable like she thought she would with him in this close proximity, and she liked that she could feel the warmth of his body as they gravitated closer to each other. Suddenly, somehow, her hands were clutching the collar of his shirt, and his hands were on her face and they were kissing. Belle couldn’t be sure who originally initiated it, or if they had both gone in, but his tongue was somehow in her mouth and she sure as hell didn’t mind. Her heart was beating fast as his mouth began to trail down her neck, and she half-opened her eyes as she moved his arms to go around his neck, and Belle suddenly gasped.

“What?” he said quickly, “Is this too much  - am I -”

“Our mothers,” she hissed, “are still watching.” Belle dropped her arms from his and he stumbled a step back, and they both stared at the figures in the window. The curtain suddenly dropped, the fiends caught in the act.

Ewan cleared his throat, adjusting his ruffled shirt. “I, uh, hope they enjoyed the show,” he said, shuffling his feet and staring at the ground.

She went on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek. “I’m sure they did.”

His cheeks were a deeper red now than ever before and he sighed. “I’m sorry, Belle.”

“For what?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“For putting gum in your hair when we were seven, of course,” he said with a deep smile, leaning down to kiss her again.

When she pulled back, she whispered, “I forgive you, finally. I’m sorry it took me so long.”

“That’s okay. We’re both back now, and we have all the time we need.”

 


End file.
